The Wrong-Fit Cost Calculator
4 inputs. Your real numbers.
Under 2 minutes

Your last wrong-fit client didn’t cost you what you think. The hours you absorbed are only the visible damage. The real number includes the prospects you couldn’t pursue, the retainers you didn’t pitch, and the referrals you let die.

This calculator shows you the full cost — the part you felt and the part you missed.

Your Practice
Your effective hourly rate
What you’d charge for an hour of your time. If you bill monthly, divide your monthly fee by typical hours per client.
$ / hour
Average annual value per client
Your typical first-year revenue from one client. Retainer, project fees, advisory — the full engagement value.
$ / year
The Wrong-Fit Client
Extra hours you absorbed per month
Scope creep, unanswered emails that came back urgent, payment chasing, rewriting deliverables, conversations about the relationship instead of the work. Count all of it.
hrs / month
Months before it ended or should have
From when you first felt it was wrong to when it actually ended. Be honest — most people undercount this.
months
The Displacement Question
Prospects you couldn’t pursue while managing this client
Referrals you didn’t follow up on, retainers you didn’t pitch, inquiries you let go because you were at capacity managing someone else’s chaos.
2
None (0) Several (5)